Chat app Line begins offering delivery on-demand services

May 16, 2016

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The future of mobile messaging is pointing towards serves, but don’t assume that only applies to digital offerings like money transfers and shopping. Japan’s Line, one of the world’s most used chat apps, has just made a move into on-demand services.

While Line has over 218 million active users according to its most recent data, 69 percent of those are based in four countries: Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia. The maturing of messaging markets means most countries already have their top apps which people use, and thus growing a userbase in a market where your chat app is not top dog becomes hugely challenging. Line’s prospects of growth in other parts of Asia — the continent where it is focusing its resources — are tough, but having a strong following in those four aforementioned markets does mean that services like Line Man have a decent shot at gaining traction where Line is popular.

Line has been linked with a public listing for the last two years. The Japanese company reportedly canceled dual U.S.-Japan listings in 2014 and 2015, and already there’s been talk of a renewed effort this year. Showing growth is the name of the game for going public, and this move into services is part of the company’s efforts to be “more than just a messaging app” for its users.